Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has shared that she’s “grateful” to have been given “another shot at life” a year on from finding a cancerous lump in her breast.
The professional dancer, 33 – who joined the BBC show back in 2017 – previously shared that she had found the lump in April last year. It was shortly before going to the Maldives for her honeymoon with her husband Ben Jones.
She has spoken about having been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer since then and has undergone a mastectomy and chemotherapy. A year on from her diagnosis, Amy returned to Blackpool recently and has said that she had been in the seaside resort when she discovered the lump.
Amy gave an update whilst on ITV’s Lorraine earlier this week. Speaking to guest host Christine Lampard, she said: “I’m doing really well, thank you. […] I’m back in the incredible Empress Ballroom [in Blackpool]. A year ago I was here with my students and I found the lump and was flying off on honeymoon the next day but I can’t believe in this last year I’ve come full circle, from mastectomy to gruelling chemotherapy treatment, a few obstacles along the way.”
She continued: “But it all worked and I’ve been given another shot at life and I’m so grateful for that, I really am. Amy added: “I missed being on Strictly so much last year. I’ve missed dancing. I’ve been working with my physio team, who are incredible, cause I’ve got a new upper body, I haven’t danced in a year, and that is the goal, for me to get back with my Strictly family. So fingers crossed.”
Speaking about the Empress Ballroom she said: “This ballroom, it is the home of ballroom dancing. When I walked in here when I was eight years old, I said ‘Mam I want to be a professional dancer’. And for my husband and I – we cherish this ballroom so much because it was where we won the British National Championships together.”
Amy, who was a finalist on Strictly with CBBC presenter Karim Zeroual in 2019, was unable to have a celebrity partner on the BBC show last year but made a few surprise appearances, including during the final in December.
And back in February, she said on Instagram that she would “be taking the next few months to heal and recover” as she revealed that “no evidence of disease” was found during her latest health check. Amy added that she will not receive the “all clear” for five years due to her type of cancer.
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.
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